


just friends

by ottermo



Series: As Prompted [94]
Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:35:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23315491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottermo/pseuds/ottermo
Summary: Toby is unsure about labels.
Relationships: Toby Hawkins/Renie Barbour
Series: As Prompted [94]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/360089
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	just friends

**Author's Note:**

> written for the Humans Challenge 2019~  
> set after series 2, I guess? or in an AU where Renie is still around for s3?

Renie sat down opposite him, as she always did, but didn’t smile.

Toby had gotten sort of used to her having facial expressions since she’d dropped the Synthie thing, so he was (he felt) understandably confused by her lack of greeting.

“You okay?” he asked. “Double geography got you down?”

“No,” she said, picking up her cutlery. “Everything’s fine.”

“Right.” Toby picked up his school-issue burger but set it down again. “It’s just, it seems like maybe everything’s not fine.”

Renie didn’t look at him. “Well, it is.”

Thoroughly unconvinced, Toby leaned forwards. “Come on, Renie… You know how annoying I can be, you might as well tell me.”

She ignored him for a long moment. Then, “I heard you talking to Ethan Wilkins.”

“Okay…”

Toby thought back to the conversation he’d had outside French. In fairness, he hadn’t known Renie was anywhere nearby, but he’d not said anything incriminating. He wouldn’t, anyway, but mostly it had been about football, so…

“Did you mean it?”

“Um… did I mean… that Spurs are having a good run…?”

“No,” she said emphatically, “Did you mean what you said about me?”

Toby gritted his teeth. “Er…”

“When you said we were…” she put on a mocking tone, “‘ _just friends_ ’. Is that what you call it? Because you were the one who kissed _me_ , so if you’re ashamed of it…”

“What?!” Toby spluttered. “No! What– Renie, no. I didn’t think it was any of Ethan’s business, anyway, and… well, we haven’t actually talked about it, have we, so…” He grinned sheepishly. “So, um, are we _not_ just friends, then?”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Okay! Great!” Toby realised he was probably going bright red. He hid his face in his hands for a second. “I mean. Great. Cool, that’s, you know. Good to know.”

When he took his hands away, she was finally smiling.

“I don’t really know how this is supposed to work,” she admitted. “I’ve never had a…” her eyes widened, “I’ve never not been just friends before.”

Toby considered. Did Caroline Whatsit count? Probably not, since he didn’t even remember her surname and they hadn’t spoken since he’d moved house the first time. So that only really left Maisie Harris in year three, and she definitely didn’t count because she’d pushed him down the slide steps and he’d grazed his elbow, so, in short, “Me neither.”

“Alright then.” Renie looked kind of embarrassed now. “Maybe I overreacted.”

He shrugged. “Oh well. It forced us to talk about it, so there’s that. I wasn’t going to do it again in case you didn’t want me to.”

“Oh.”

Toby cleared his throat. “Um, but I probably still won’t tell Ethan though, ’cause he’s annoying.”

“I thought he was your best friend.”

He raised his eyebrows. How could she not know these basic things? Maybe he really was that bad about making things clear, ever since he’d decided to take several large steps back in that area after The Terrible Night Where Anita Had Nearly Told His Mum He Was A Perv (capitals his).

“I’m pretty sure _you’re_ my best friend,” he said, deciding that he was already in for a penny so might as well top it up to a pound. “If… if that’s alright with you.”

She grinned. “Of course it is. Nobody else will even sit with us, after all.”

They both looked at the four empty seats on their table, and burst out laughing. The people on the table next to them looked over with those weird judging smirks that basically came across as jealous-jealous-jealous.

“Their loss,” said Toby with a shrug, and finally bit into his burger. It was rubbery and awful, but this tasted amazing.


End file.
